Average Rating4.50 / 5 (4 reviews)

Use this primarily in the summer but also works well on warmer cold season days to avoid getting burnt. Great, great fit, picks up sweat well, neck coverage is excellent. Strap works fine for windy days. Highly recommended.

I concur with a previous OR reviewer: OR logo is too big, too noticeable. Wish they would go small on the side or something.

My favorite hat because it’s versatile. It provides great sun and bug protection; way better than any wide brim I’ve tried. In the heat, the supplex/mesh combo breaths really well. When the weather turns cold it’s really easy to layer a fleece underneath. It washes well and dries fast too. The cape is easy to remove for when you’re in the public and don’t want to look like a nerd. I recommend this hat to everyone.

functional, stylish, but cape could be a tad longer
on 08/12/2008 11:05:36 MDT

Rating: 4 / 5

The fact that the cape is entirely removable, rendering a standard ball cap, is both a boon and bane.

The cap alone, with its hip, curved brim and streamlined look, passes the urban street test, while its lightweight, breathable construction keeps the head happy while running away (from the urban street). But the hat offers only meager, ball-cap-like sun protection without the cape, and the cape - more than mere fashion faux pas in certain circles - is also hot. Not trendy hot, but hot hot. Such is the nature of wrap-around head capes in all but the most refreshing of breezes, regardless of how tight or loose the cape is worn. (It adjusts from full, Bedouin veil mode to the more open, Dumbo-ears look.)

For all of its love/hate skin-shielding capability, I have to say that the cape could be longer in the back, and is best paired with a high-collar wicking shirt to keep the nape area reliably safe from the desert sun.

Newer versions of the Sun Runner cap handily pass the wind tunnel test. Even in ball cap mode (no cape or associated chin strap), the hat is sized deep enough to keep it low around the circumference of the head, and the "one wrap"-like velcro means the hat can be cinched extra tight without maxing out the adjustment in a whole gale.

As for the bold OR logo, front and center, this used to bother me until I figured out that most people just assume I'm either from, or patriotic about, the state of Oregon.

I bought the Outdoor Research Sun Runner hat last year for a week long trip to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. I didn't use any sunscreen except lip balm the entire trip and didn't get sunburned, in a large part thanks to this hat. The adjustability from full coverage to simple ball cap is extremely welcome and allowed me to continue wearing the hat after the sun went down or when it was overcast without having to deal with the cape. That being said, I do like the cape for sun protection and it even adds a surprisingly significant amount of protection from wind and rain. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was a quality issue. Shortly after my trip I was adjusting the hat to fit over a beanie and the plastic loop the velcro runs through came detached from the hat. I looked at how it was attached and was surprised that there were only a few stitches holding the plastic piece to the hat. I returned it to REI and they gave me a new one. The new one is constructed in the same way. I will just have to take more care with future adjustments. Other than that I love it and highly recommend it.